Fisker Atlantic Production Delayed By Two Years: Report

The last we heard, Fisker had managed to raise an additional $100 million in private equity funding for the development of its second model, the mid-size Atlantic extended-range electric sedan. However, just a few weeks since that positive announcement, official slides from an investor presentation reportedly reveals that production of the Atlantic won’t start until late 2014 or early 2015--two years later than initially planned.

Present at the investor presentation, Reuters is also reporting that the Atlantic’s starting price will still meet the original target of $55,000, before tax credits, and that the car’s underpinnings will be used to spawn several other models, one of which is expected to be a crossover.

On top of this, Fisker CEO Tony Posawatz allegedly said during the presentation that the company was considering lending its technology to other firms, something closest rival Tesla is already doing with its own battery technology.

Fisker has been faced with a number of challenges since the launch of its first model, the Karma, including a recall of the car’s battery, which is supplied by A123 Systems, as well as two incidents involving fires. At the same time there have also been several key executive changes at the company, and access to crucial funding from the Department of Energy was blocked due to what the government claimed was several contractual milestones Fisker failed to meet.

Fisker remains adamant production of the Atlantic will eventually start at the former GM plant in Delaware, which it acquired in 2010 and was in the process of refurbishing for the start of production of its new extended-range electric cars. Once fully online, Fisker expects to have employed more than 1,000 staff directly, as well as numerous others in supporting roles.

A prototype for the Fisker Atlantic was revealed at the 2012 New York Auto Show (pictured above). The final car will feature a detuned version of the ‘EVer’ drivetrain found in the Karma, which relies on a small internal combustion engine to charge up lithium-ion batteries that then power a pair of electric motors driving the wheels. The Atlantic will differ from the Karma in that it will offer the choice of rear-wheel or all-wheel drive configurations. The Karma is only available available with rear-wheel drive.

Since its founding in 2007, Fisker has raised approximately $1.2 billion in private funding.